While the Bloody Mary is typically consumed by mid-afternoon, enjoy one any time you like! Let our recipe get you started.
Bloody Mahhhvelous Mary
A classic Bloody Mary is a combo of vodka, double that amount of tomato juice, some prepared horseradish, tabasco, Worcestershire, salt & pepper… all shaken together, served over ice, and garnished with a celery rib and perhaps a wedge of lemon or lime. But personalizing one is both fun and fabulous… and makes your Mary Mahhhvelous!.
2 oz vodka
4 oz tomato juice, V-8 veggie cocktail, or Clamato juice
1 tsp – 1 T prepared horseradish
½ – 1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-5 dashes Tabasco (or other favorite hot pepper sauce)
Salt & pepper, to suit your taste
Combine in a shaker; shake gently. Then pour in a tall glass over ice and garnish as desired.
KISS Tips: Consider rimming your glass before making the drinks. Celery salt on a small plate will do just fine, or combine celery salt with dillweed or Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s) or Old Bay seafood seasoning. Simply squeeze the juice from a lime or lemon wedge directly onto the rim of your glass and you move the citrus wedge around the circumference of the glass. Then invert the glass and roll through your desired seasoning mix. Then fill with ice and set aside, ready to fill. With your garnishes, you can go Super Simple with a celery rib, or add a combination of items to suit you. Consider skewered, filled olives, or a dill pickle spear and a citrus wedge, or 2 chilled shrimp and a sprig of parsley, or a lobster tail, and/or a crispy peppered bacon strip. You can also switch up the vodka. Make your Mary with gin for a Red Snapper Mary or with tequila for a Bloody Maria.
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
Post that “Do Not Disturb” sign and finish doing whatever needs doing. No Interruptions Day gives us an official excuse to ignore requests that slow us down from accomplishing whatever is on our “to-do” list.
“When we seek hope, it may be best to give hope to someone else. Wrap someone in your arms, look them in the eyes, and tell them that you won’t give up.”
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”
Mom’s Super Simple Raisin Sauce for Baked Ham
Super Simple Spiced Cranberry Raisin Chutney
“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things – not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
“The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don’t celebrate those, they can pass you by.”
“If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded.”
“There can be no friendship without confidence and no confidence without integrity.”
Sir Ronald got to take both daughters to visit The Biltmore in Asheville, NC this past week. The largest single-family residence in America harkens back to a fascinating time in our history. But the gingerbread house of The Biltmore is definitely a masterpiece! Perfect for today… National Gingerbread Decorating Day!
“Character is like a tree and reputation a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
Celebrate National Lager Day with a favorite “cold one.” Or prep some recipe that lets your lager shine. I do not drink any beers, but beer, lager, wines, and other liqueurs work perfectly in various, scrumptious recipes. Here’s one of my go-to tastebud cravings, especially with warm, soft pretzels… okay, tortillas chips are great, too!
KISS Tips: These are very rich, so small pieces are super. I like to drizzle the glaze layer in fine lines, crisscrossing over the top.
“We have not forgotten, nor will we. We live in a world made more free, more just, and more peaceful by those who will answer roll call no more, those who will report for muster never again. We do remember Pearl Harbor.”
A friend of ours, is seeking help through Votes for her for the Bar Boss 2023 Bartender of the Year contest. We enjoy a great many friendships with folks who tend bar, so we are pleased to help Tami. If you care to join us, you can vote daily starting today (December 4) at 1pm EST (10am PST, through December 14 here on Facebook. To help her win the People’s Choice category and a chance for $10,000 and her picture on the cover of Bartender Magazine, please vote for Tamora Hatton: 
Let’s look ahead to tomorrow, which is National Cookie Day, launched in 1987 by Ohio’s Blue Chip Cookie Company. Everyone has a favorite cookie, and more cookies are baked in the month of December than any other! But why not prep some Crackin’ Toffee Crunch to join the party? But wait! Is it a cookie? Is it a cracker? Is it a candy? Doesn’t matter! It’s scrump-diddly-umptious!
Whip up some yummy fritters to tantalize your taste buds! “They” say that fritters have been around since the days of ancient Rome, and their popularity is even greater today.
But I made a fun twist on the stuffed pepper thinking as part of our Brunch Bites menu on Thanksgiving. Some fresh berries and chunks of fresh pineapple and a sweet roll twist on the side, made this quite a nice treat. Plus, land one or two of these beauties inside a toasty bagel or a favorite baguette or roll with your choice of spread, and you’ve got one gem of a breakfast sandwich. (Well, I’d be adding cheese and a couple slices of bacon, most assuredly.) Anyway, here’s my full recipe, which started by stuffing tomatoes, but I did the sweet bell pepper version for Turkey Day.
Skillet Stuffed Egg Rings
“Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.”
Savory, you say? Sure. Sauté up some sweet onions and sliced mushrooms. (A combo of oyster, shiitake, & cremini makes mushroom mahhhvelousness.) Season with thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Serve over your French Toast (no nutmeg or cinnamon, please, in a savory version).
“The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.”
Today reminds me of the importance of living with an attitude of gratitude. Today and everyday I thank God for the richness with which I have been blessed. I am grateful for a healthy, loving family… especially for my vibrant 93-year-old Mother and my devoted husband who has been rebounding gallantly from a stroke on October 2. I am grateful for the countless opportunities and experiences that have come my way and helped shape my life. I am grateful for the abundance of the good Earth and the Lord who provides and guides. I am grateful for you for being among my enormous blessing of friends.
“Seeing is not believing; believing is seeing! You see things, not as they are, but as you are.”